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Give the Church Away

Posted on February 27, 2006

“Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received, freely give.” Matthew 10:7-8

When we think of giving, most of us think of money. In the upside- down Kingdom of God, Jesus thinks of healing, deliverance, life, and peace. For too long the church has horded the gifts of God for herself. It’s the lost multitudes who are in need of all that Christ has freely given us. For the Christian, self-preservation and the fear of risking it all for the Father’s heart, will eventually turn us into spiritual tightwads who are all dressed up with no where to go.
Giving the church away means giving ourselves away. All that Christ has invested in us, our talents, gifts, fruit of the Spirit, can only be truly useful to the maximum when they are abandoned for the use of bringing in the lost. Jesus was extravagant with us when He gave Himself on the cross. We too can be extravagant to the lost with all we are blessed with.
For those who tried to withhold justice and mercy and the Kingdom from those who needed it most, Jesus skewered his opponents with words to this effect: “The harlots who have no imagined righteousness to protect will be dancing into the Kingdom, while you have your alleged virtue burned out of you. Hear me well: I have come to announce the dawn of a new age, an era of incredible generosity. Allow yourselves to be captivated by joy and wonder at the surpassing greatness of my Father’s love for the lost; set it over against your own joyless, loveless, thankless, and self-righteous lives. Strike out in a new direction. Cease from your greedy ways, and be compassionate. Celebrate in the homecoming of the lost.”
Giving the church away is about risking our comfort zones and small thinking for the possibilities of God to be accomplished. It means to accept without reservation all that Jesus has ordained for my life. It means to have the attitude of Jesus when he prayed in the Garden, “not my will but yours be done.” It means to make for my own the prayer of Dag Hammarskjöld, “For all that has been, thanks. For all that shall be, yes.”

Rick D’Orazio
Conference Pastor

 

*God's Proper Timing

Posted on February 7, 2006

*“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” Galatians 6:9

After a long period of faithfulness have you ever become worn down, spiritually depressed, and ready to give up? Perhaps your spiritual vision has become impaired and it is difficult to endure what seems to be a time of stagnation and limbo. You feel like you are in spiritual suspended animation. Your prayers seem to go unanswered as they hang between heaven and earth.

Anyone who hopes to be effective in the Kingdom of God must learn to look beyond the seeming frustration of the present and look for what God Himself has timed. Field Marshall Ferdinand Foch possessed this anticipation during a great battle when he stated, “My center is giving way, and my right is retreating, situation excellent. I shall attack.” Timing is everything!

There are two words in the Greek New Testament for the English word time. The first, chronos, is quantitative time as we count it in hours, days, weeks, and years. But the second word, kairos, or qualitative time that God arranges, is far more important to us. It is God’s appointed moment for what He has planned for us to come into focus and fruition. Kairos is the timing of God on the terms of God. If we see only the chronos we miss the timing and provision of the Lord and are destined to grow increasingly frustrated with what isn’t happening for us. When we accept and adopt the kairos perspective on time, life is fruitful and exciting.

So, what time is it for you? God’s proper time will allow you to reap the harvest He has appointed in your life. Be patient and resist the temptation to compare your circumstances to others who might seem to be progressing faster and easier than your own. Do not give up. God is always on time. His Time!

Press In. Press On.
Rick D’Orazio
Conference Pastor

 

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